Monistat Long Term Results. Cindy Crawford’s Meaningful Beauty. On Black People. Egyptian Carrot Seed Oil. Neutrogena. The New Proactiv. The New Bare Minerals. Wacking off my hair due to dryness (my fault). Starting over again. East Coast. Switzerland. Spain. France. New Phone. Man. I have been busy.

Please forgive my absence here, since I’ve been over at Music Nerdery holding it down, building the rep up, getting jobs and getting paid off of that. Once I got that site established… everything kind of just took off from there and got me distracted. Along with other family drama… and life blessings.

If you just give me a minute… I’m coming back to get back at this. With a whole new layout much like Music Nerdery is about to get. Then we can get back to all hair, all the time. :)

Hey People. Time to get you updated on some new win.
Now even though this is made for the braided and locked ladies, I’m basically suggesting this for anyone who’s interested. Looks like I run across this Great Braid/Scalp Relief Spray from Dr. Miracles Product Line.

Now it’s designed for ladies who have braids, twists or locks in their hair. You know those first two days when you get braided/tightened up can be uncomfortable at times, and there are tons of sprays out there that say they offer relief. Well, at this point in the game, I’ve tried the majority of them. And while most are fairly decent, Dr. Miracle’s Braid Relief Spray is the only one that is literally blowing my mind.

Lightweight and non-greasy, the spray smells lovely (like a mix of eucalyptus and peppermint) and feels even better. After braiding up the hair, I give it a direct spray and wait for the magic to happen… a wonderful warm and tingling sensation that kicks in within 2 minutes of application… and gives you and your scalp a much-needed release from the tension of fresh hair braids. And my hair braider doesn’t even do tight braids (it’s why I love her)… but I still use it just for the feeling of freshness and tingly I get when using it… it just feels so good. It says that it promotes healthy scalp and hair stimulation… and with the way it feels, I really wouldn’t doubt it.

So heads up, braided up and loc’ed ladies. You should actually give this braid spray a try. They aren’t playing… it does what it says it came to do. Definitely worth looking into. Hey, even if you don’t keep your hair loc’ed or braided, I’d say you’d give this a try regardless. This is one of those products where you’re not going to lose, no matter the hair type.

Hey People. Thanks for stopping by.
Welp, I’ve run out of Ovation. And as I promised, I am giving you a full-out review of Ovation Cell Therapy. I’ll try to give you all the Pros and Cons of this product.

So in between braiding, I gave my hair a good wash down first with MicroTek Shampoo, a great wash that is good for stripping any dirt and oils out your hair and killing any bacteria/germs on your scalp for good hair growth. Been good to me since I ran out of that Neutrogena a few months ago. From there, I thoroughly washed the hair again with the Ovation Shampoo. Lightly scented and an interesting blue color, its took to my hair nicely and have me a good lather from the get go. Wasnt too heavy or harsh, and when rinsing, didn’t leave it dry at all. I actually noticed a softer curl to my hair than I usually get with other shampoos… their MegaTek line included.

From there, I put in the rinse out conditioner, the Ovation Cell Therapy itself. It has the same texture and smells much like its cousin, MegaTek Pet Rebuilding Conditioner. It goes into your hair and give it this weird rubbery texture or feeling, but I put it in knowing I was going to leave it in for at least 15 to 20 minutes while I did my thing in the shower. At the end of that 20 minutes… my hair was feeling WELL moisturized and incredibly softer, which is the exact same thing the pet rebuilding conditioner did… but Ovation definitely left it softer.

Finally, I went ahead and put a nice amount of The Ovation Creme Rinse In… that’s the one that you can leave in or use as a daily conditioner if you wish. I just left that in for the last 5 minutes of my shower. Once again, beautifully scented, this went into my hair with a completely different feeling than the Cell Therapy itself… just thick and creamy going in and coming out. Gave my hair a nice bounce and lightly conditioned feeling even after rinsing… and without leaving a residue type-feeling in my hair. And left it smelling nice and fresh (as most shampoos should).

Now while I got a great ideal of how the products felt and worked on my hair in the shower, it wasnt until I went to work on my hair where I really felt the results come through. Now with my lovely 4B hair, combing through it post shower is pretty complex. Welp, not this time around. Between the two Ovation Conditioners, my hair was incredibly soft and manageable… and surprisingly easy to get the wide tooth comb through. I was pretty surprised actually. Also, not a lot of breakage while I’m combing through it… really important to me, since my hair is easy and prone to breaking whenever it feels like it, basically.

After hitting it with some Infusium 23 and a SMALL amount of Darcy’s Peach Kernal Oil, I set my hair up for the blowdry. And I have to say, the biggest results came here. My hair was so soft after blowdrying. It was actually kind of weird. It was well moisturized without feeling to heavy. And it’s actually become better with each use.

Its been a minute since I’ve sat down and blogged like this, so I’ve had the chance to use the whole thing since coming in. And my hair has just become softer and easier to manage after each use. And I actually MEAN that. It’s not like those commercials that say that in their adverts, then you use it and your hair still feels like crap afterwards. No. This stuff actually worked. And when it comes to leaving your hair soft, manageable and incredibly healthy feeling, this is just about one step up from where MegaTek had me at when I used their products.

Growth for my hair was on par as well… nothing accelerated that I could see by eye, but then again, please consider that I’m using at least 2 other products (Shapley’s MTG, rosemary) for rapid growth. Its kinda like adding extra icing on the cake. Not really gonna make a difference, but its good to have there. lol. I do see much healthier hair than I’ve had with other products in the past. My breakage with this product was normal. Nothing heavy and no unusual shedding. The only thing that’s beating this line of product when it comes to no breakage is the MegaTek Pet Rebuilder. Doesnt leave the supersoftness that Ovation does, but it can stop some hair breakage in a quick minute (with consistent use).

Basically, thumbs are up for Ovation Cell Therapy. I’m don’t know about accelerated hair growth, but it’s defintely great for keeping it soft and manageable. Also really good for bringing out the color in your hair as well. The shampoo is really great for that. As for MegaTek…. since you know… they are the same company… I love their leave in conditioner but I’m also gonna be looking into new ones pretty soon. I will be keeping their MegaTek Pet Rebuilder in heavy for a while… I really like the anti-breakage properties on this one. Its been really consistant and helpful when my hair gets weak or dry… keeps it from breaking.

Also, I’ll be picking up a bottle of MegaTek’s new leave in, silicone/oil free leave in conditioner… their new Avocado Extract spray. It looks and sounds like it has potential. Ill keep you updated.

Welp, its been about a month since I brought the Neutrogena Visibly Even Foaming Wash back into rotation after not using it for at least 3 years. I had put it on hiatus in favor for Proactiv… my skin was starting to break out in a major way, and I needed to switch products to keep it under control.

After a while, especially as I get older, I noticed that when I do break out, my skin tends to leave spots where the breakouts used to be… and the spots don’t clear up as fast as they used to (dammit). Also, I was intrigued by the fact that a few of my friends suggested Neutrogena to keep my skin tone even overall. And that’s where the Visibly Even came into play. I happened to see it at Target on sale for a decent price. So I decided to pick it up and give it a try… see if it could do my skin any good.

The good news? Yes. I do see a difference. And its pretty decent. After about a month of using it at least twice a week, I can see a noticeable fading in breakout scars across my face. Also, my skin tone across my entire face is much more even than it has been previously (I also think upping my vitamin intake also helped out a bit). I see it tends to be much more effective when I use this product after steaming my face for about 15 minutes with my Face Steamer. I wash my face with the cleanser, which also includes exfoliation beads for removing any dead skin…. throw on some Bio Oil on top for moisturizing, and call it a day.

Now on the flip side of this, I do have a tip. No matter how good this stuff is… nothing really gets any better than a good old face steaming, a nice facial scrub, followed by rubbing a bit of FRESHLY cut lemon juice onto your face. Yes, lemon juice. Why? high in vitamin C and other vitamins, this inexpensive home remedy is great for fading scars on your face, as well as other parts of your body. The high amounts of citrus, one of the main ingredients for Neutrogena’s face wash, is KEY in helping your skin even out its tone. So if push ever comes to shove and you run out, or if you’re just broke and you wanna try something new, I’d definitely look into trying out the Lemon Juice Method.

Thats all I’ve got for you today. Hope the info helps you. If you have any questions… just ask.

Why? Well, Shapley’s wins for the simple fact that when consistently used, i can get at least 2 to 3 inches of hair growth within 3 months. yes, i will break out the picture to prove that shortly. its everything that Monistat wants to be, without the hair shedding when you stop using it.

I ranked MegaTek Pet rebuilder over the Mane and Tail just because of what the Pet Rebuilder did for me in terms of stopping breakage, which is my main problem. It singlehandedly solved the issue of breakage Monistat kinda triggered… and reversed any other breakage as result. i use it as the Shower Rinse Conditioner anytime I can. For people who wear their hair OUT tho… I would say the Mane and Tail Conditioner is best for you… it keeps your hair healthy and thick, without having to rinse it out within 30 minutes of putting it in. lol.

Infusium also wins for its anti breakage properties. I like to add this to a little bit of rosemary spray (ladies who follow know whats up) for added strengthening properties. especially love to use this out the shower right before blowdrying.

Finally, Im loving what Darcy’s Peach Oil is doing for both my hair AND skin. in a winter where for the first time… i had dry skin as a result of dry, cold weather (WEIRD)… this oil helped my hair AND my skin in a real way, while leaving me smelling like a fresh peach. :D

honorable mention to Palmers Organic Olive Oil Spray. that was #5.2. lol.
and ladies who have been following, dont think that this is a negative reflection on Ovation whatsoever. i just havent had enough time with it as of yet. well see where that goes…. along with all the new products i hope to try out soon. Dr. Bonner’s hair line, Surge, and still.. Kinky/Curly.

getting back into the groove of things slowly. thought this might help you ladies with any questions you have or tips you need for new products, and what youre looking for. if you have any questions, feel free to shoot them at me. ill be back soon to get into Monistat vs. Shapley’s, as planned.

hey people. tryinta keep you updated a bit more often, since i kinda sucked at that last month. lol. i wanted to update with this post sooner, but caught a cold. since im shaking off the flu now, we can get started.
ive got a couple of things to go over. but first, we can start with two of my new favorite body products. well, neither is really new to me, but I havent told you about them, so they are probably new to you. lol.
Dr. Bonners Almond Scented Soap and surprisingly… Bath And Body Work’s Lay it On Thick Shea Butter Lotion.

we’ll start with Dr. Bonners, since ive touched and talked about this product in the past. always a great product for all over body use, 100% natural and organic, and always for fair trade. ive been using it since i was a kid… it was all mom ever bought. mostly because one bottle can last you for up to 3 months, if you dilute and use it correctly. well over the years, their product has expanded to different oils and scents, and i just found almond. man this stuff smells great. all of it smells great really, with peppermint being my favorite… but if youre looking for a non-minty, milder version of this great soap, this is the scent youre going for. this was great for those long tub soaks, and the oil in the soap is a great skin softener. you should really try it out sometimes.

so then, when you get out the shower, smelling all nice and fresh… youve got to put on lotion, right? now the problem is dry skin for me. normal lotion hasnt worked on me for years… even good old lubriderm left me ashy after a few hours. after a while, i just switched over to cocoa butter and vitamin e oils. after hearing about my troubles, a coworker introduced me to her new favorite lotion, called Lay it on Thick. now when anyone mentions buying products at Bath &Body Works, i usually am suspicious. they are great for scents, but their lotions… i wasnt too sure about. until this.
Now they werent lying when they named it “Lay it on THICK.” lool. the product ($20 for a big 10 oz bottle) is so thick coming out the container that you have to squeeze extra hard to get it out. which is a good sign for me. made from shea butter, macadamia nut oils, vitamin e, vitamin a extract and several other yummy ingredients for the skin… it goes on like a thick, rich cream over the body. the best part about is that the product absorbs into the skin so fast… youre rarely left with any over-oily or greasy feeling on your body. it kept my skin moist for the fully day… with no ashy or dry spots popping up at any point. and scented like almonds (yay!) with a touch of vanilla… the smell is another nice win. nice, but never overpowering. i had stopped using this product for a while because i was really into my bio oil and vitamin e set up i had going… but after running out of bio oil, i broke out what was left of this lotion, and was reminded of how kickass it really is. if you need a little heavy moisturizer this winter season, id say give this a try. ill be switching to this while i give the bio oil a well deserved break.

well, thats all i have for now. im rusty with this after a while. lol. well be getting back to the hair shortly. making decisions on whether i wanna go get a trim or leave it growing for as long as i can. also, since im almost out of ovation (and you will be hearing about that shortly)… im planning out what product to move to next. i think ill finally be giving Surge a try.

so im totally geeked. i got my Ovation Cell Therapy and Darcy’s Botanicals a few days ago. i love ordering stuff for my hair. lol. heard nothing but great things about Darcy’s so i was really eager to get my hands on this and get it into my hair.

ive also got alotta requests to list the ingredients on ovation cell therapy bottles since ive got them. im reminded that we need to be aware of what is in our hair products, especially if youre pregnant (hey raina!). i should have thought about this when i had my megatek bottles, but of course, i JUST threw it away (dammit). but since megatek and ovation are the same company, i figure ill list what i have on here. if i get some more megatek, ill be sure to list those ingredients too.

i have to admit… i heard the best part of Darcy’s, along with the product quality and the fact that everything is all natural/vegan… is the scents that she infuses into her products. i was really eager to give it a smell. i bought the Peach Kernel Hair Milk and Peach Kernel Hair and body oil (right two bottles) for myself. and as promised… the smell is intoxicating. its almost like biting down into a peach… it smells so good. i ended up ordering the madagascar vanilla styling creme for my little sister whos staying with me… so she could stay out of my Peach Hair Milk and Oil. lol. and as a treat… she sent a extra 3 ounce tester of her coconut aloe moisture pudding! free stuff is always great. lol.

ive been thoroughly satisfied with the product as well. i started off with the Hair Milk first, as ive heard nothing but good things about their leave in conditioner products. the hair milk is rich in moisture and creamy without being overly-oily or greasy. it goes on light and absorbs quickly into my braids without a problem. plus, the peach smell is the only thing that seems to overpower the smell that Shapley’s MTG leaves in my hair… which i will forever be grateful for. lol. as for the body and hair oil… its really rich and smells twice as good as the hair milk. not only does my hair love it… my skin is in love too. leaves me moisturizer and lightly scented of peaches. i dont get ashy within 5 hours like i do with most oils, so that is always a plus. lol.

the vanilla styling creme is also a plus. starting off thick and rich, you can rub it with your palms, and it melts into a richly scented conditioner type oil. great for the lil one, who is natural haired, and hair is 4B/thicker/drier than anything you can think of. really good moisturizer for her hair, and shes using it every other day. i use it on my braids once in a while, just for the oils and the vanilla smell.

welp, thats the basic updates and info on darcy’s and ovation. sorry for the long delay. i actually started writing this blog in october and was overwhelmed. it wont happen again. ill be keeping you up to date more often, and more info. pics of progress coming up next! take care.

hey. dropping in with the quick update that i thought you guys would reeeeally wanna know.
so last blog, i was talking about how im doing some research as to what hair products ill be using for my next cycle of hair braiding. while doing some research on ovation and MegaTek, i find out that they are the same company. it turns out that EQyss, the makers of MegaTek, are the parent company for Ovation Cell Therapy.

so yeah. very important info to know. also makes making a choice a lot easier, since they are the same thing. lol. ill probably give ovation cell therapy a go. just to see if theres any difference. looks like well also be bringing in something from darcys botanicals… but well see.

hey people. hope everything is good out there in hair land.
i just wanted to give you the updates on the hair and product results ive been getting.
also, its time to choose new hair products. always a hard decision. but well get into it. first, lets talk about the MegaTek.

well, a few days ago, i took out the braids for rebraiding and washing. i was worried the whole time… concerned about shedding and breakage that was happening earlier this year (due to monistat usage on hair). i bought in MegaTek leave in conditioner (Mane, Hoof, and Tail for horses) which i had been using on a daily basis, along with their rinse out conditioner (coat and pad rebuilder for cats and dogs.) id use the leave in on a daily basis, and use the rinse out whenever it was time to wash out my braids or hair. now while i love what the megatek did for the over all thickness and health of my hair, i have to admit, i think it was the rinse out conditioner that did the most for me when it came to stopping the breakage. which it did wonderfully.

i have to tell you, when i took out the braids and thoroughly washed my hair and started to blowdry…. i saw a complete drop in the amount of hair that was breaking off. a LOT. REALLY happy about that. were back down to the normal 100 to 150 strands. even when blow drying, i noticed that NO hair was breaking off during the process. its great. so im really happy with the results im getting from megatek. great growth and thickness from the leave in, and GREAT results with stopping breakage from the rinse out conditioner… which is what i wanted.
i officially suggest this for anyone trying to do ANYTHING regarding length with their hair. youll definitely get results.

now the hard thing is… making the decision as to what the next product is. ovation is obviously first in line, but darcy’s botanicals got a strong recommendation from a hair blogging pro. id like to keep megatek somewhere in the rotation, but again, there are options like devacurl and kinky curly out there. then you have to figure out what has sulfates in them… because its best if we avoid them, is the word.

i got a few days before i need to get on the interwebs and search out things for purchase, so ive got some time. but its so hard to pick one for sure. im usually stuck with it for another 3 to 4 months… unless it absolutely sucks. i guess im going to look out for the products with the sulfates and avoid those… and narrow it down from there.

if you have ANY suggestions… feel free to let me know. im up for anything.

hey peoples. hope all is good out there in hair land. so sorry for the delay… had some family business we had to wrap up and handle.

so in my last blog, i talked alot about monistat and shedding, and how i got the shedding and breakage to stop for me. one of the best things for me to use on my own hair is a made at home conditioner thats easy for anyone to make. its really simple… half an avocado… and an egg.

i know, i know. wtf is up with all this weird stuff you put in your hair sometimes? lol. i know. but let me explain the logic behind it for you really fast. avocado is REALLY high in natural vitamin e oils… one of the best oils you can use for your hair. especially for african american hair. as for the egg… it is high in natural proteins and biotin which are both great for strengthening weak hair, or hair prone to breakage. i only like to use it once in a while… when i feel like my hair is kinda weak, and whatever products im using at the time just arent cutting it.
so let me know break down how you want to use this and how to do this, if youre interested. its not that hard, really. all you want to do is break out your blender, get an avocado, half it, and drop it into the blender. follow suit with ONE egg… crack and drop into the blender. blend together slowly until well mixed together. pour it into a cup and let it sit while you go get your hair wash on. some people like to add something extra to it… i like to add a bit of Doo Gro or Palmers olive oil to it for extra moisturizing… or like a friend i know, who likes to add a bit of beer to hers, for extra strenthening (and yes ladies, the beer thing is true for your hair, and really good as well.) from there, apply the mix to your hair, and let it sit for no less than 15 to 30 minutes. i like to go for 45 sometimes. now heres the IMPORTANT part… when you rinse your hair, RINSE WITH COLD WATER ONLY. not warm, not hot. COLD WATER. why? well first of all, it closes the hair shaft, sealing in all the good nutrients that your hair just absorbed… and most important… if you rinse with warm water… the egg in your hair will LITERALLY COOK and leave little bits of scrambled egg in your hair that youll be rinsing and picking out for DAYS. COLD WATER, hear me?

now, on to the next topic…
sulfates and your hair.
well, a lot of what im hearing lately in the hair blogosphere is that sulfates are horrid for hair. especially african american hair. something in the sulfates that make our hair weaker everytime we use it. and a LOT of sulfates can be found in our daily shampoos and conditioners. i checked a few bottles of old shampoo ive used in the past, and sure enough… sulfates all over the place.
so i was talking to a friend over at http://productjunkiediva.blogspot.com/, and she, being the queen of all hair products, suggested that i look into a natural hair care line called http://darcysbotanicals.com/. seems as if she has a wonderfun leave in hair conditioner that i should be trying… and i definitely will be getting to it. all her products are sulfate free… and use nothing but natural products for hair strengthening. thats what *IM* looking for.

so ill definitely keep you updated… im going to start using megatek on my little sisters hair… see what her results are, since we both have the same type of hair (4B! i found out! lol). ill be looking into making purchases from ovation and darcys botanicals… and seeing how that goes.